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In line with a report prepared by Ana Rubicondi, Bruno Ferrari, Emilce Terré, and Julio Calzada for the Rosario Board of Trade (BCR), Argentine grain river cabotage reached its highest mobilized volume in five years in 2025. This was achieved by transporting almost 806,000 tons of grains through the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway during 2025.
According to official data, operations recorded last year were 18% higher than those in 2024, also being the highest quantity since 2020. "The river transport of domestic cargo along the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway is relevant for the Argentine logistical framework, particularly for connecting the regional economies of the coast with the internal market," specified the BCR.
"The 2025 data confirm this trend: grain cabotage registered its best performance in five years, in a context where the set of domestic cargo circulating along the waterway, including fuels and fertilizers, also showed positive dynamics," it added.
As a starting point, geographically, the network of terminals that operated cabotage in the last three years on the Paraguay-Paraná main navigable waterway (i.e., operating cargo whose origin and destination are located within Argentine borders) extends from Barranqueras, in Chaco, to La Plata, in Buenos Aires, with a strong concentration of facilities in the Greater Rosario corridor and in northeastern Buenos Aires.
"This involves a network of grain and fertilizer terminals, fuel plants, thermal power plants, and public docks that channel both the exit of merchandise to the internal market and the entry of merchandise to the core zone," the entity pointed out.
The movement of cabotage goods on the Paraguay-Paraná Main Navigable Waterway closed 2025 with a total of 8,494,328 tons dispatched, representing a year-on-year growth of 5.8%.
This was primarily driven by the increased transport of oil from the province of Buenos Aires, coupled with a sharp increase in grain and fuel shipments originating from Santa Fe terminals.
Buenos Aires consolidated its position at the forefront of cargo dispatch, concentrating 86.4% of the Argentine total (7.36 million tons), a volume mostly explained by oil and derivatives departing from terminals in the southern Buenos Aires metropolitan area towards the internal market.
For its part, Entre Ríos occupied second place with shipments composed exclusively of grains, while Santa Fe (4.8% of the total) more than doubled its 2024 volumes, registering 407,008 tons, thanks to the recovery of the energy sector.
Grain cabotage showed expansive behavior for the second consecutive year, mobilizing 805,805 tons, 17.8% more than in 2024 and 27.3% above the average of the last five-year period. This system - key for the sector's competitiveness by operating via barges at lower costs than trucks or trains - has its starting points on the Paraná riverbanks and its main destination as the agro-export complex of Greater Rosario.
Entre Ríos, the segment leader, accounted for 89% of the national volume with 718,301 tons (+19.8%). Notable were Cargill's operations in Diamante (305,790 t) and the significant jump of the Cooperativa Agrícola de La Paz, which grew by 63% to reach 279,756 tons.
Santa Fe and the provincial capital port captured the remaining 11% by doubling their shipments (87,504 t), concentrated almost entirely in the Port of Santa Fe. In contrast, Chaco did not register any grain shipments via this route in 2025, deepening the paralysis of the sector it has suffered for years, despite having represented a third of the market in 2020.
In the reverse direction of river traffic, the arrival of fuels at the receiving ports of the waterway increased by 5.3% year-on-year, totaling 3.63 million tons. 80% of these discharges were concentrated in the province of Santa Fe (led by Pan American Energy and YPF plants in San Lorenzo), while the YPF Dock in Barranqueras (Chaco) experienced a significant reactivation, multiplying its receipts sevenfold (241,092 t), consolidating itself as the energy supply hub for the Argentine Northeast (NEA).
The reception of fertilizers - which mainly come from Bahía Blanca - suffered a generalized setback of 27.8%, ending the year with 501,992 tons. The decline affected all terminals in the corridor, although Profertil in Santa Fe (204,039 t) and the Provincial Dock of San Nicolás in Buenos Aires (181,530 t) remained the main discharge points for this agricultural input.
